Ms. Vilma Fields, director of the Chattanooga African-American Museum/Bessie Smith Hall, will use the eBay auction proceeds to help a Howard School student(s) attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's American Music Master conference honoring Bessie Smith, co-sponsored by Case Western University, in September 2001. Chattanooga's Howard School plays a significant role in BackWaterBlues.
BackWaterBlues in Search of Bessie Smith, hard cover, Smythe bound, 7 x 10, 304 pages with 16 pages of documents, maps, black/white and color photographs, Rose Island Publishing Co., Amherst, 2001. First edition limited to 100 copies.
The book is a wonderful combination of biography, history, interpretation, revelation, and journey -- not just Bessie Smith's journey from childhood to artist, but the author's personal and professional journey as she engaged in the research and writing. It is a compelling combination." -- Professor Marsha V. Marotta, Westfield State College
Bid high! Bid often!
Sincerely,
Sara Grimes, professor emerita, Journalism, University of Massachusetts/Amherst http://www.backwaterblues.net/
For more information contact All About Jazz.